Ty Warren: Mix-and-match defense still growing strong

Karen GuregianSunday, October 24, 2010

Credit: Herald File

Ty Warren

Ty Warren shed his crutches a few weeks ago and is walking without any sign of a limp. After surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, as well as a microfracture operation in the socket, the Patriots defensive lineman indicated he’s ahead of schedule.

But that should come as no surprise. As the veteran Warren joked when reached by phone Wednesday: “Most people who’ve had this surgery are at least 50 years old. So I’m ahead of the curve. But I’m doing real well.”

But not well enough to play football. Placed on injured reserve prior to the start of the season, Warren underwent surgery in August and has since been relegated to watching his teammates on television each game day, cheering them on from his couch.

Naturally, he’s kept a keen eye on the defense, particularly the line. He’s watched as Bill Belichick has moved players around, carefully manuevering them like chess pieces from week to week. Warren, who has been in town doing his rehab, has seen two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Vince Wilfork move out to end. He’s seen veteran Gerard Warren (no relation) get his first exposure to a 3-4 system and doing so at Ty Warren’s old position at left end, as well as the nose. He watched rookie Brandon Deaderick contribute last week.

“I think it’s coming together for them,” said Warren, who has been back in town the past month. “Last week was a big win (against the Ravens). I think it was only a matter of time before the unit got it together, and further gets it together.

“As long as there are no (more) injuries, and they continue to play together, and see each week -- after each practice and each game -- what they need to do to get on the same page, (improvement) will happen. Between them seeing it, and growing as professionals, and having a guy like Vince leading, along with the coaching they’re getting, they’re going to get it. It’s going to come.”

Warren didn’t seem the least bit surprised by Belichick moving Wilfork over to end against the Ravens.

“Bill is a big matchup guy,” Warren said. “I’m looking at the game last weekend. I haven’t watched the film on the Ravens for this season, but I would guess Michael Oher was their go-to guy on the Baltimore line, so Bill wanted to neutralize him. So he put Vince over there and (also) had Jermaine (Cunningham) to take care of Oher.”

The move paid off. Oher committed three penalties and between Wilfork and rookie Cunningham, didn’t know what had hit him half the time.

“Vince is a load for any guy to handle,” Warren said. “I mean, Vince couldn’t block Vince, if Vince was blocking Vince. But it’s all about matchups. That’s the explanation I’d put on that if you’ve watched us over the years. There must have been a lot of runs going to the left side of the (Ravens) line prior to us playing them, so Bill tried to neutralize that.”

It worked. The Ravens were held under 100 yards rushing, as Ray Rice couldn’t get untracked after destroying the Patriots in the AFC wild card game last season.

“They’ve been moving (people) around alot from what I’ve seen,” Warren said. “That’s just the way Bill does things.”

When asked if it looked like Belichick had gotten everyone in the room back on the same page, back to that team concept that won the three Super Bowls, Warren believed that was very much the case.

“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” said Warren, who was an integral part of two championship teams (2003, ’04). “That’s what’s going to take you to the next level. Playing for yourself only gets you so far.”

How tough has it been on Warren, not being able to help out on the field?

“It’s different. You never know how much you miss the game. This is the first time I’ve been out the whole season,” he said. “So you never know how much you miss it until you’re out of it. I’ve been enjoying the time with my family, too, and have been able to take a couple classes and make the best of my time, so, I’m fine.

“I’m getting my (football) fix by watching it. I’m not waking up sore the next morning. It’s not what anyone would want. But it’s not the end of the world, either.”

The recovery time for Warren’s hip surgery is 4-6 months. He spent the first month in Vail, Colo., where the surgery was performed, starting his rehab before coming back east.

“I’m optimistic about the recovery,” Warren said. “I definitely have plenty of time to do what I need to do to get back up to full strength.”

As for some of the other headline making news that’s gone on with the team in his absence, Warren wasn’t totally shocked by the trade of Randy Moss to the Vikings during the bye week.

“I was and I wasn’t,” Warren said. “I’ve seen some things happen around here, so nothing totally surprises you.”

As for the return of Deion Branch via trade with Seattle, Warren was definitely glad to see his old friend back in the locker room.

“I love Deion. I consider him a good friend,” Warren said. “He’s a team player. He’s a selfless guy. He’s good for the locker room. He’ll help the team and help the offense. He’s a breath of fresh air.”

Big bang theory

Now that the NFL has delivered its message about assessing and enforcing heavier punishment for illegal hits, particularly those to the head and neck, the question is how it will impact players -- especially defensive backs -- in going about their business.

Will Brandon Meriweather now be a little tentative, not wanting to risk making the kind of hit that cost him $50,000 for his blow against Todd Heap last week? Will teams go at him, knowing he might be somewhat hesitant to make a hit?

Meriweather said Wednesday it was just a matter of altering his game to play within the framework of the rules, and playing the way he’s been taught.

“I think NFL players ... we’re like a trained canine,” Wilcots said. “That’s why a player like (Steelers linebacker James) Harrison protested so much. To become a professional, you put in so many hours so it becomes second nature. You do it so well, so quickly, so innately, you do it without even thinking. To get that way, you need thousands of hours of repetitive motion to get it down without thinking. So you can’t change even if you want to. You can be smarter on the back end of plays. But for the most part, a guy like Peyton Manning does what he does by osmosis because he’s done it a thousand times.”

Wilcots interestingly does foresee a fallout.

“I think teams now are going to be more prone to attack the seams (of the field), and attack the safeties in two-deep coverage,” he said, “because they know they’re not throwing their receivers into harm’s way as much as 10-15 years ago, when you could just light a guy up. If you threw across the middle, you had to pay for it.”

Wilcots believes that trend had already started, even before the three incidents of flagrant head hits last Sunday refocused attention on player safety.

“This rule was on the books two years ago,” Wilcots said. “You saw last year we had more 4,000-yard passers in one season than we had in the previous 90 years ... so with the rule being reemphasized, I think teams will reemphasize -- and feel better about -- attacking the middle of the field. We’re not throwing guys into harm’s way. So I don’t think it’ll be a watershed moment. I don’t think teams will necessarily do things differently, I think the best way to put it, is that they’ll be more encouraged to do what they’ve kind of been doing.” ...

In wake of all the discussion about illegal hits, Patriots Hall of Fame linebacker Andre Tippett was asked during a charity event Tuesday at Shaw’s Supermarket in Mansfield how different the game is now, from when he played during the ’80s and early ’90s.

“It really isn’t different,” Tippett said. “The way you play the game, it takes a lot of courage. It’s all about courage, and courage to do the right things, also. It’s not just courage to run into people. But be smart about how you do it. How you practice. If you practice a certain way. If you have a good coach that’s constantly talking about proper technique and doing things the right way.”

Tippett said players should watch and take note of how Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis goes about his business. He’s a tough, physical player who plays cleanly.

“I like Ray Lewis. Sixteen years in the league, and he’s a guy that really wants to play the game clean,” Tippett said. “He wants to be ferocious, he wants to be physical, but he doesn’t ever want to be called for dirty hits or late hits. And that’s what you have to do; that’s what each players has to do. You have to take the attitude that ’I am going to play the game clean. I am going to be more conscious of the technique and how I play the game.’ ”

Knee-jerk reaction?

The perceived adjustment that defenders will make in tackling opponents lower to avoid head-to-head hits has some players concerned.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger actually claimed last week he would much rather take a shot to the head and get a concussion than take impact to his knee. And this is a guy who’s had at least five concussions, and well aware of the dangers of head injuries.

“I would rather have a concussion than a blown-out knee,” Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

Roethlisberger, who has missed time during his career with a knee injury and also suffered head trauma in a motorcycle accident, then backtracked and broke it down to severity of head injury.

“It depends on what kind of concussion you get,” Roethlisberger said. “Just because you get a little woozy, technically that is a concussion, but nobody wants to be knocked out where your brain is swelling and all that stuff. Just to be a little woozy, I think guys would take that over maybe never walking again.”

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker said it is a bit of a “pick your poison” situation in terms of where to get hit. He’s suffered from head shots, and, of course, also knows what it’s like to have a major knee injury.

Welker, ultimately, said receivers really don’t have a choice. It’s up to the tackler.

“I think it all depends on the (defender), what type of player they are,” Welker said. “If they’re ankle-biters, that’s what they are. If they like to go up top, then that’s what they’ll do. It just depends on the guy.

“But really, it’s football. So I’m not too worried.”

Zimmer rips Petrino

In case anyone missed this incredible verbal beatdown, Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer delivered a whopper, as he had plenty of nasty words for his former boss in Atlanta, Bobby Petrino, who essentially bailed on the team.

Zimmer was with the Falcons when Petrino was the head coach in 2007, and today marks Zimmer’s first return to Atlanta since Petrino abruptly left the Falcons to return to his college coaching career at Arkansas.

Zimmer told reporters in Cincinnati that Petrino was a coward for quitting the Falcons with three games left in the season, calling him “gutless.”

And that was the kinder, gentler version.

“Most people in football have enough courage about them and enough fight to stick through something and not quit halfway through the year,” Zimmer said. “It’s cowardly ... he ruined a bunch of people’s lives, a bunch of people’s families, kids, because he didn’t have enough (guts) to stay there and finish the job. That’s the truth.”